Vacuum cleaners can comprise one or more agitators rotatably mounted onto a foot portion of a vacuum cleaner to dislodge or sweep dirt on the surface being cleaned. The vacuum cleaner can further comprise a suction source fluidly connected to an upstream aperture disposed near the one or more brushes to ingest the dirt into a working air flow that is fluidly connected to a downstream filtration system. The filtration system is configured to separate the entrained dirt from the working air flow and convey the dirt into a removable dirt cup or a porous filter bag for later disposal.
Some known agitator mechanisms on vacuum cleaners comprise a cylindrical, transversely oriented brush assembly rotatably mounted within a suction aperture that spans the width of the vacuum cleaner foot. Such agitators are typically configured to dislodge dirt and hair from the cleaning surface and are positioned near the suction aperture for ingesting and transporting dirt through the working air flow and collecting it in a conventional manner.